Wisk Aero and its parent company Boeing are facing a lawsuit filed by former software engineering manager Briahna O'Neill, who alleges she was terminated after raising internal safety concerns about software testing practices for Wisk's sixth-generation autonomous eVTOL aircraft.
Filed in the Superior Court of Santa Clara County, California, the complaint claims O'Neill submitted two internal safety reports questioning whether flight-critical software was receiving sufficient testing to satisfy Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification requirements. According to the lawsuit, company leadership allegedly pushed engineering teams to reduce testing activities in order to meet the timeline for the aircraft's first flight.
The allegations focus on Wisk's Vehicle Management System (VMS), the software responsible for aircraft flight control and navigation. The lawsuit describes the codebase as highly disorganized, making it difficult to complete the validation processes required for FAA certification.
O'Neill reportedly submitted her first internal report in February 2025, followed by a second report in March alleging that software testing had been scaled back to preserve the program schedule. She claims she was dismissed less than two weeks after filing the second report.
Court filings also include internal employee messages expressing concern about the termination and warning that it could discourage future reporting of safety issues. Several employees reportedly defended O'Neill's leadership and emphasized the importance of maintaining an engineering culture where safety concerns can be openly discussed.
In addition to whistleblower retaliation claims, the lawsuit alleges gender discrimination and wrongful termination. O'Neill is seeking financial damages but is not requesting reinstatement.
Neither Boeing nor Wisk has commented on the allegations. Boeing stated it does not comment on ongoing litigation, while Wisk did not publicly respond to media inquiries.
Acquired as a wholly owned Boeing subsidiary in 2023, Wisk is developing one of the industry's leading autonomous electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Its sixth-generation aircraft is designed to carry four passengers without an onboard pilot and is intended to achieve FAA certification later this decade.
The lawsuit highlights the increasing regulatory focus on software assurance as the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) sector moves toward commercial certification. Beyond aircraft design, manufacturers must demonstrate that flight-critical software meets rigorous aviation safety standards before passenger operations can begin.
As legal proceedings continue, the case may draw broader industry attention to software development governance, certification processes, and safety reporting practices across the rapidly evolving eVTOL market.
